Heroes, Humbled
by TheLadyMuse
Summary: A collection of BNHA fics. Each chapter is a complete fic. Pairings will be in title
1. More Packages Than Perfect AOC, Tensei

**Basically, this is a collection of Boku no Hero Academia fics with a similar(ish) theme. **

**Hasake Fumiko has to decide if she wants to stay in Tensei's life after Stain cripples him. Aizawa Enya gives her some advice. Shouta's just there to adore his wife.**

Shouta liked being home with his wife. He especially liked when they both had afternoons off to spend together in their apartment, Cleopatra and Soot in his lap as Enya did whatever she was doing. Sometimes it was cooking or figuring out a dance to teach her students for Quirk control, or something for her next performance. Often, he had marking to do and sleep to catch up on, but watching Enya was still a good part of the day.

Enya, on the other hand, didn't simply like being home with her husband. She adored getting to baby Shouta, even if just for a little bit, because he'd always resisted it, back before they got married, and even once they had gotten married he'd not allowed her to take care of him much because it wasn't 'rational'.

Which is why, when there was an insistent dinging from the intercom, they both sighed, Enya sliding a gentle hand over his hair one last time before walking away, lips curling up as he pouted.

Picking up the receiver with an elegant motion more suited to a high-class manor than the middle-class apartment she was standing in, Enya responded

"Aizawa residence." She was alarmed when another female voice whispered jaggedly

"I need help, Enya-san." Closing her eyes and pursing her lips, Enya breathed out and replied

"I'll let you up." Before she flipped the receiver over, pressed the button that would admit her friend into the building and hung up. Her shoulders hunched as her husband draped himself over them, nibbling on an earlobe before she murmured

"Fumiko-san's here, Shouta, honey." He groaned, leaned over to kiss her cheek and slunk off to the bedroom, his alley cat trotting behind him. Sighing, Enya picked up the Egyptian Mau twining around her ankles and cast a glance at her kitchen as she adjusted her hold. 'Patra settled onto her shoulder, purring as she scratched her head with the same overly elegant fingers that Shouta enjoyed running through his hair.

Striding over to the door, she twisted the knob, leaving it open a touch and heading over to the bedroom, chuckling when she put Cleopatra on the bed and she bounded over to Soot, the two companions touching noses before settling down to cuddle. Shouta was in the shower, so Enya left after shutting the door, raising a brow as Hasake Fumiko slipped in her door, just after she made it to the kitchen.

Putting the kettle on to boil, she pointed at the sofa and said in a husky, gentle alto

"Sit. We'll talk when tea is ready." Tilting her head, she added, just as softly cultured

"Shouta's in the bedroom." Fumiko blinked, nodded jerkily and sat down.

Within a few minutes, Enya had a full tea tray in her hands, which she set down on the table before seating herself and asking

"It's about Tensei-san, isn't it?" Fighting tears, Fumiko blurted

"I was in Akita, and I just couldn't get back, and I'm almost three months pregnant and his mother has never liked me. I don't know if she'll even let me into the hospital."

Restraining a sigh, Enya wished she was screwing her husband right now. Fucking Shouta (or letting him pound her until she couldn't walk) would be so much simpler than untangling Fumiko's emotional knots.

It wasn't that she didn't like Fumiko. She did, it was just… Once upon a time, she'd been Akatsuki Enya, heiress to a fortune larger than the Yaoyorozu's. She'd picked her friends carefully, especially after she realized that, to keep Shouta, she'd have to walk away from the luxury she'd been born into. So while she liked Fumiko (and her boyfriend, Tensei) and most of Shouta's friends that she'd met, she hesitated to call them _her_ friends.

Fumiko calmed herself, her 'I'm a fucking lawyer' façade back in place, she gulped some tea before asking

"How do you do it, Enya-san?" drawing her legs up under her, tapping delicate fingers on the arm of the sofa, Enya drew in a breath before answering.

"I've known I want to stay with Shouta since I was fourteen years old." Ignoring the shock on the older woman's face, Enya continued

"Shouta was surprised when I declared my intent, and even more when he realized I'd put work into planning what needed to be done. We didn't let our relationship surface until after my eighteenth birthday for that reason. It was a friendship first, though I knew I wanted everything Shouta could give me. One of my preparations was to research inter-relationship communication, and from there I built my own routine. Instead of whining that he isn't home, I make sure there's food in the fridge, the occasional call or text that tells him what I'm up to, and I ask that he let me know his schedule when he can. I never ask if he's 'okay', just that he tell me what he can and how badly what he can't will hurt him."

Fumiko exhaled and whispered, stunned

"It's that simple?" A dark chuckle had her whipping her head around, before Enya began again

"It's not, because you know as well as I do it's late nights holding him through nightmares, being in the dark because you honestly have no idea what happened, spending endless hours at his side when he winds up in hospital, and assuring him that crying doesn't make him less of a man and yes, you _do _love him."

Her Quirk vibrated in her bones when she took in Fumiko's stunned expression. Annoyed, she stated in a clipped tone that jarred against her usual intonation

"I thought you lived with Tensei-san." Swallowing, Fumiko admitted in a hushed voice

"We've talked about it, but he wanted to wait until Tenya-kun was established as a hero, and there was no need when I travel so much for work. Does he really-?" Expression relaxing, Enya shrugged and poured more tea before replying.

"Everyone is different. I've spent many nights over the years pacing the floor while Shouta was on patrol, while you'd probably try to work through those hours. Shouta usually has nightmares once or twice a week if something doesn't happen, but I've heard of people who have nightmares every night."

Seeing that the other woman was still lost, Enya lectured pointedly

"You have a choice. Are you with Tensei-san because he's a hero, or because he's Tensei? Can you adjust to a wheelchair bound significant other? It'll mean cleaning up things he's knocked over, renovating your home to be more accessible, possibly dealing with helping him with the bathroom until he adapts. Probably no sex, dealing with any temper tantrums because he's a grown man who feels he's been reduced to a baby, he's so helpless. His family will be overprotective, that child you're carrying will be the only one in all likelihood unless you adopt, and he's going to feel like you shouldn't be with him."

Fumiko straightened her back, countering

"He's _alive. _Wheelchair or not, he's Tensei, and if he's half as good a father as he is a brother, he'll be wonderful. So what if he gets angry? It's normal, and of course his family would be overprotective, they don't… want him to get hurt further."

"Sounds like your mind is made up." The women looked over at the man who'd drawled that, Fumiko sheepish while Enya eyed her husband hungrily. Dressed in a black t-shirt and ratty grey sweats, Shouta was nothing special, but he knew his wife appreciated those clothes because they emphasized his muscles. Leaning in the bedroom doorway was a clear sign of his intent- to seduce his wife- and Fumiko took the hint, standing to thank Enya before she left.

Prowling over to his wife as she sipped her tea, Shouta looked at her. Sure, he drank her in every time he came home, but this time, he took in her smile, the way her eyes danced up at him. When she carefully set the teacup on the table with a dull click, Shouta paused, groaning when she stood to cup his face and pull him into languid kiss.

Fumiko nervously walked into Hosu General, approaching Tensei's room tentatively. When Iida-san saw her, she frowned at her son's girlfriend. Her eyes widened when she saw the way the girl seemed to absently press her hand against her abdomen.

Remaining silent, she watched as Hasake-san seated herself primly at her son's bedside, gentle fingers reaching out to stroke the pads on Tensei's face, around the oxygen mask. His eyelashes fluttered, and he tried to speak, but Fumiko hushed him, murmuring words Iida-san had never expected to hear from the gorgeous lawyer.

"Shh, Tensei, darling, I got back as soon as I could, I'm sorry it took so long." When he tried to speak again, Fumiko patiently hushed him again, fingers stroking over his forehead as she continued

"I would have been here sooner, but I had to go see Enya-san, get my head screwed on straight. No, no, Tensei, shh, I'm going to tell you some things and then I'll listen, alright?" Iida-san held her breath as her son nodded, swallowing when Fumiko crooned

"I love you, so much, Tensei, I don't care that your body won't be okay again, all I care about is that you're alive, that you're still Tensei." Carefully, she ran a hand down Tensei's arm, lacing their fingers together before sliding her hand away, pressing Tensei's against her belly. As he blinked, Fumiko leaned forward and whispered, her voice wavering a little

"You're going to be a Dad, Tensei. If you want to wait until you're more mobile to be involved, I-I understand, Tensei, but honey, I'm terrified to do this without you."

For Tensei, Fumiko showing up was something he'd both dreaded and wanted badly. He wanted to see her again, wanted to hold her, but she'd leave, would see him as less of a man, no longer a hero. And then she was there, shushing him to tell him she loved him, and that he was going to be a Dad. It ached and burned and fucking hurt to do, but he pulled her closer, rasping

"Thank you."

(If he doubted she'd remain with him, that was private. However, he believed she was there to stay when they spent the evening of their four-year-old twins' birthday party cuddling while his brother had the twins at his place.)


	2. Windblown KM, KI, TM, SA

**When you choke on flowers and your skin aches for a mating bite, what do you do?**

_The camera opens on a tidy but not extremely clean dorm room. Set up in the corner, atop the dresser, it finds four boys lounging lazily. Each more different than the next. The occupant, Kirishima Eijirou is flat on his back on the bed. His favourite sempai, Amajiki Tamaki is sprawled over his chest. If you could take off both boys shirts, you'd find they both have a detailed tattoo on their right hip, drawn out in spidery lines over bone. Eijirou's is beautiful, if incomplete, so faint you have to study it intently to know what it is. Tamaki's, on the contrary, is inked so darkly it appears fresh._

_Bakugou Katsuki sits on the desk chair, leaning on the backrest as it faces the wrong way. His chin rests on strong forearms and red eyes gleam like embers. He too, wears an intricate bouquet over his right hip, but his is tinted with all kinds of pale colours, gilded in rose gold and outlined in such a deep green it appears black. Behind him, Shinsou Hitoshi sits, cross-legged, leaning against the wall, on the desk. If you paid attention, you'd realize his ankles are taped, but only one has an ill-concealed line of katakana wrapped around it. Ill-concealed because the marks are so dark they make it look like the tape bears black smears._

_(What could these four boys possibly have in common? Well… You're about to find out)_

_Eijirou grunted, shifted Tamaki so he hid the older boy's face and began, staring at the camera_

_"__So, uh, it's been a while since we posted the beach video and, well-" Katsuki coughs, whipping around to glare at Hitoshi when he kicks his shoulder without opening his eyes. Tamaki moaned, silencing everyone for a moment before Eijirou continued_

_"__There was a lot of… buzz around that. Since, we, uh, appeared partially naked, I guess. Not a smart move on our part. And, uh, we decided that since you know about all that, we'd, um, talk about it before announcing the auction information." Tamaki mumbled to Eijirou, who nodded and cleared his throat, conceding_

_"__Good point, Sempai." Hitoshi and Katsuki looked at him expectantly, nodding appreciatively when Tamaki levered onto his elbows and monologued_

_"__I'm Amajiki Tamaki, but you know me as West. I've grappled with Hanahaki for about five years." He flopped back down, sniggering into Eijirou's shoulder when the younger boy yelped before reintroducing himself_

_"__Kirishima Eijirou, you know me as East, and I've had Hanahaki for three months." Katsuki grunted, and then spoke casually_

_"__Bakugou Katsuki, South. I had Hanahaki for three years before I confessed, was accepted and mated." Rolling his head forward, Hitoshi blinked open his eyes and murmured_

_"__I'm Shinsou Hitoshi, you'll know me as North. I was born with a soul mark, recognized my soulmate a few months ago, but things are… they're not ideal. And today, before we start on the good announcements, we'll be clearing up some of the myths around Hanahaki, soul marks and mating marks." Nodding, Eijirou picked up the narrative smoothly_

_"__Hanahaki, unlike the movies, is not about coughing up petals and flowers." Tamaki faced the camera long enough to mutter_

_"__Biologically impossible." Sighing and running a hand down his back, Eijirou added_

_"__Although your lungs become lined with a plant, the only indication is a tattoo on your right hip. The more detailed, the farther you've fallen." Cracking his neck, Katsuki finished_

_"__And you can't get it removed because that compromises your lungs immediately." Tamaki scratched his nose and recited as if from memory_

_"__The only way to be rid of Hanahaki is to accept the mating bite of someone who isn't the person you have it for. Hickies from someone else slow the spread, but eventually, your lungs slowly fill up with your plant. So long as you hold out hope that they'll change their mind, you've signed your death sentence. But even accepting the bite doesn't remove the feelings, just makes it more complicated." Sighing, Hitoshi chipped in_

_"__Soul marks are rare, but they almost guarantee that you'll not have Hanahaki. Rather, you'll die of touch starvation if you recognize them and they don't want to accept the bond that could be."_

_They were silent for a minute, before Hitoshi straightened and explained_

_"__We're not looking for anything. Pity, fame, they mean nothing to us for a few reasons. It's just, when we released the beach video, we didn't realize the concern that would be stirred up. We'll be fine, really. Katsuki's mated, Ejirou and Tamaki-sempai plan on trading bites at the end of the school year, and my soulmate hasn't recognized me yet." Katsuki turned to pinch his leg, growling_

_"__Even if they did, we wouldn't let you go." Heaving a breath (far more difficult now that Tamaki had been laying on him for a while) Eijirou grinned and announced_

_"__We got modelling offers! Tamaki-sempai and Hitoshi are headed to the runway, and Katsuki and I'll be doing photos!" Shaking his head, Katsuki interjected_

_"__Beach video photos and portraits are up for auction, charities the proceeds go to in the description box." Hitoshi and Tamaki, however, were sniggering, Tamaki rolling off of Eijirou when Hitoshi corrected laughingly_

_"__You and Katsuki are going to be strutting around in your underwear for the mags, you mean!"_

_The camera closed on four laughing teenagers, known for their acapella covers but that had today talked about the things that made them uncomfortable, miserable._

If he'd known how fucking viral that video would have gone (and damn, they'd only been operating the channel for like a month) Katsuki would have kept his fucking mouth shut. As was, his fucking nerd cornered him the next day, hands trembling as he confronted him.

Huh.

Sighing, Katsuki gripped Izuku close and whispered everything he'd never told him. What the plant meant, the day it appeared, why he'd been such a fucking monster. Why he's never been able to be the person he wanted to be.

Predictably, Izuku cries. Death threats only recently lifted do that.

And Katsuki might be busy consoling his nerd. But he knows that somewhere on campus, his bandmates are suffering. So he hushes the nerd, gets him over to Round Face and Glasses and explains that he's got to check in on the Bakusquad and that he'll be back but Izuku's been upset by something that happened and he needs his friends.

And then he jogs over to the tree where Eijirou and Tamaki-sempai like to doze together, just in time to see the next piece of the puzzle fit together.

Tamaki is quite content right now. As content as he can be, anyway, with Mirio's oak leaves coiling in his lungs. But Eijirou's letting him snore in his lap, before their patrol with Fat later.

And speak of the devil, but Mirio himself strides across the grounds, expression clouding as Tamaki blinks at him lazily. With Tamaki still waking, he doesn't realize that Mirio's lips have tightened as Eijirou strokes firmly gentle fingers through Tamaki's hair.

For Mirio, finding out that Tamaki's been disappearing to record acapella covers with his kouhai hurts. Sure, they're good and Tamaki's been more confident lately, but to find out that his best friend has Hanahaki because of the internet enraged him.

(As much as Mirio could be enraged)

"Amaijiki-san," He begins, stopping and starting again when Tamaki looks at him, confused, eyes flicking to Kirishima

"Tamaki-kun, why didn't you tell me you had-" He falters, lost in thought. Tamaki should have died ages ago, even with modern medicine, Hanahaki is tough to treat. Distantly, he notes Eijirou protectively tightening his hold, before he asks mechanically

"Can we continue this elsewhere?" Tamaki rises, dusting himself off, quietly thanking his kouhai before walking away with Mirio. Who is completely unprepared when the other teenager says softly

"Ask yourself who's been around the whole time I've… You won't have to look far. Excuse me." He wanders off, and Mirio stares after him, itching to chase but knowing Tamaki doesn't want to be followed.

Ten minutes later, he realizes that Tamaki meant _him. _His best friend intended to swap mating bites with his kouhai because he'd believed for so many years that Mirio couldn't- wouldn't love him like that. Darting to the nearest bathroom, Mirio emptied his stomach, grimacing as he thought that through.

Katsuki arrives in time to pull Eijirou into his lap and arrange the other wanna be hero like he was sleeping, run blunt fingers through that gelled spike, once, twice. And then the Bakusquad trickles over, Sero, Mina and Denki all ready to yell at Eijirou only to find him cuddling in their leader's lap.

Mina whisper-hissed

"Who do we have to kill?" Only to recoil when Katsuki raised a brow and murmured

"Yourself. But don't bother, he hid it pretty well for an idiot." His hand flies up and he waves it at Eijirou before continuing

"There was a distant cousin of mine threatening Izuku for years, but they've been dealt with."

Mina stumbles back, caught by Sero, considering this for a minute. And then Denki nudges her, and what she's gotta do is so obvious. She carefully switches places with Bakugou, stroking Eijirou's hair, murmuring to him and being stunned when he relaxes. Mina barely notices when Bakugou gestures that he'll be watching, so entranced is she by the complete submission Eijirou is displaying when she realizes he's mostly awake.

Amajiki-sempai stops by, crouching to ruffle Eijirou's hair and quietly remind her that Eijirou needs her to be certain of her decision, before he rises to head back to his dorm. A little while later, Eijirou wakes with sleepy eyes that look at her with complete trust. As if she doesn't have the power to shatter his heart.

Good thing she wants to keep it for herself, instead (mostly. She's not too greedy).

Tamaki arrives at his dorm room in time to greet Mirio as he waits nervously outside the door. Nodding, he permits the other teen entrance. He's later gratified to learn that Mirio has always loved him but had felt Tamaki wouldn't be interested in a relationship with a man. Or, well, with Mirio, to be precise.

It'll take more time than he currently has, but as long as Mirio will let him, he'll prove how desirable his best friend is.

Or maybe, just maybe, Tamaki will have a bite and the rest of his life to do so.

About a week after the Winds vlog had gone viral, the Bakusquad had expanded to include Shinsou and Amajiki. Which is a good thing, because it gave them time to clear their heads.

And for the others to adjust to how touchy the four of them had become. Tamaki was less anxious when his bandmates stay nearby, and Hitoshi was far less grumpy when he'd been hugged every day.

Were it not for Shinsou, you'd think things were normal. They were, but, well, they could have been better. Or so Present Mic, Eraserhead's best friend, thought. Wait, that sounds unkind. You'll see what I mean, in any case.

Aizawa had pulled in Yamada to teach Shinsou some self-defense moves, and Yamada had complied because he was infatuated with Eraserhead. He could call it love, but there were no Asters lining his lungs, so by the trope, he wasn't in love with his old friend.

But there was a reason for that. One Aizawa himself was unaware of, as was Shinsou. You'll find out in due time, never fear.

That session ended on a high note, Aizawa clapping a hand on Shinsou's shoulder, only for both males to freeze when his hand made contact with the skin of Shinsou's neck. Mic recognized, perturbed, that Shinsou's expression was one of fear, while Shouta's was one of disgruntled awe.

And then Shinsou's outer right ankle and Shouta's outer left glowed gold, and he knew why he'd never contracted Hanahaki despite loving Shouta fiercely. Their connection, though strong, was not the soul deep one that Aizawa was destined for with Shinsou.

It hurt, but it was a good hurt. He knew why, now, and that he'd have Shouta to himself for a another few years until the kid was legal. It was a selfish thought, but it was his and he'd try to be mindful of that, but it was true, so he wasn't fighting it too hard.

**Katsuki- gladiolus (strength/moral integrity)**

**Eijirou- pink rose (light pink, elegance, poetic romance)**

**Hizashi- (absence of) aster (patience, Hitoshi had this for Shouta in their previous life together)**

**Tamaki- oak (flower of Zeus, the god of kingship and honor, which I thought described Mirio)**

**Shouta- none (previous life- purple violets, innocence/abundance of love, Hitoshi)**

**Hitoshi- none (previous life- aster, patience, Shouta)**

**Hanahaki- when I originally read up on the trope, I misinterpreted it as 'lung-flowers' and only came across the actual interpretation of Hana/hakimasu recently. It is a cultural misunderstanding, but I think I like the way I've shown it here.**

**Soul marks- Your marks align and are in black until you both realize what it means. If one person realizes and the other does not, touch often makes it quickly apparent. Connection turns to gold. Although it is not uncommon for people to be happy without their soulmates, you're often soulmates because you had hanahaki (one or both) in your last life. Because of destiny, loving someone with a soulmark means in this life, you cannot get hanahaki in this life.**

**Mating marks- there is a hormone in saliva, slightly different from person to person. Hickies are like a topical application, whereas an actual mark means a scarred bite mark, usually licked thoroughly immediately after breaking the skin, embedding your hormone in that person. Marks scar better if untreated, and accepting a mark means leaving it to heal. Not accepting it- cleaning before the hormone sets- usually means it doesn't really scar. Mating marks heal hanahaki but are regarded as something to carefully consider before you do it, as you become more aware of each other and their movements, faintly connected no matter where you are.**


	3. Amare (AizawaEnya, MomoAwase)

**Love is not to be squandered.**

**Heiresses they might be, Enya and her friends know this.**

Momo squared her shoulders.

The unassuming office door, marked 'Aizawa' in simple, clean kanji, shouldn't intimidate her.

But it did.

On the other side of the door was Aizawa Enya, the performer Thunderheart, and from the sounds of it, her best friends. All women who had been born into wealth and chosen Heroes. Huffing, the student silently reiterated her refusal to let this obstacle remain.

When her knock silenced the voices and was answered with a clipped

"Come in." Momo edged the door open, surprised to note that, as she'd guessed, Thunderheart and her best friends (once upon a time bandmates Nadeshiko and Tsubaki) were tensed, relaxing when they saw it was just her.

Bowing, Momo softly explained

"I'm Yaoyorozu Momo, a student of Aizawa Shouta. I'm... having a difficulty, and he recommended I come to you, Aizawa-san." Intense red eyes scrutinized her, before the older woman shrugged and said

"This is Kan Yoshiko and Iida Fumiko." Keeping a grip on her emotions, Momo started carefully

"I... during the training camp, I got to know another student better."

Kan-san clicks her tongue as Iida-san checks her nails. Aizawa-san looks thoughtful.

Waving a hand gently, the performer mused

"So you're in the same boat as Rika-chan." At Momo's face, she elaborated

"My brother's girl fell in love with a Gen-Ed kid."

Gathering up her courage, Momo blurts  
"How do I make it go away?"

The very air ices over a little. It's not that they don't understand, Momo thinks, but that they got what they wanted. She's been to the high class parties they attend with their husbands in tow, Enya and Yoshiko especially defy convention by expecting equal treatment for their men.

So she explains in a rush

"I just don't think he's interested! And, I, mean, my family's wealth intimidates my classmates!" Enya and Yoshiko roll their eyes at each other while Fumiko sighs.

While the other two snicker at each other, Fumiko jerks a thumb at them and explains

"Shouta-kun's father Shinya was Eisaku-san's bodyguard, and Shiko and I met our husbands through Enya-hime." The nickname seems to be a common jab, as Enya cries indignantly

"Hey!" Yoshiko cuts in

"You should at least say something, kid. Get it out there instead of letting it fester." She looks thoughtful, tilting her head and muttering Momo's name over and over, looking up with a manic glint in her eye

"It's Awase, isn't it?" Momo froze. Fumiko tilted her own head, and Enya started humming.

Cackling, Yoshiko wheezed out

"You got nothing to worry about kid! Sekkun's been worried about him being a tad lovesick, thinking it was unreturned!"

Letting her face fall in her hand, Enya grumbled to herself before picking her head back up and fixing suddenly beady eyes on Momo.

"I will persuade my husband to convince Nedzu-sensei to host a gala. You will ask whichever person to attend as your escort, and if that does not solve your problems, you can whine to me the next day."

Turning her glare on the others, the singer repeated firmly

"The. Next. Day." Before exiting the room in a swish of her costume cape.

For the record, Shouta hates galas.

They bore him.

Also, formalwear is itchy if not from an actual tailor.

But to get Yaoyorozu focused and the dating situation of 1-A on track, he will break out his dress up togs and listen to his wife sing for an evening.

Really, if Enya hadn't agreed to perform, he'd have refused.

He knows Kan would say the same- they actually like their wives, sue them- and it's not like it's a hardship being at the school. He does have friends on staff.

That train of thought is why he's dressed in a black on black suit, a coil of capture weapon in his pocket, goggles in the opposite pocket and his hair is tied up. He's lost the self-consciousness of the facial scar, but it was a battle, especially while Enya got used to it.

(He remembers the times in the hospital, Enya sobbing quietly when she thought he was sleeping, but never leaving him. Worse, of the time it had been Enya, still and pale, in the hospital bed. It's no wonder, not to him, why he crumbles like wet rice paper to her every wish)

Enya's not in costume tonight, dressed in a somewhat slinky white dress that reminds him of the mischievous heiress she was, once. Extending a hand to her, reels her in and drops the most sensuous kiss he can on her generous mouth.

She pulls back, just a touch, traces that crescent scar on his cheek, out to under his eye, and when her eyes meet his, glassy with unshed tears, and when she sniffles out

"I love you." He believes her, more than usual, swoops in for another kiss, groaning when she pulls away and giggles about being late. Just once, he wants to plead and beg that they can be late, they have a few minutes to explore each other.

But no, they're responsible, so they head out with promises of later.

Sekijiro's cute when he's grumpy. Given that he, Shouta and Tensei had agreed to chaperone this gala, she, Enya and Miko had all agreed to perform.

Which is why she's straightening her husband's jacket and trying desperately to withhold snickers. Enya and Fumi are good friends, but only Sekijiro is her best friend, his honest compliments and big warm hands only half the reason she fell in love with him.

His generosity and easygoing spirit certainly helped.

And the honest appreciation in his eyes no matter what she's doing or how she looks doesn't hurt. One last smoothing of his jacket and they were ready to go.

Momo had hesitantly excused herself from getting ready with the 1-A girls when Enya's niece, Erika, had invited her to her dorm. The other heiress' honestly friendly invitation for a quiet period before the gala was gratefully accepted.

Especially since she didn't want her friends to know about her date just yet.

Still, when Erika regarded her carefully and asked for a bandanna to match her dress, Momo was confused. Until she realized that Erika was intending to give it to

Yousetsu (who, despite there being nerves on both sides, had asked her out at the same time she asked him).

Carefully, Momo concentrated, and instead of the red of her Hero costume, there was a bandanna to match Yousetsu's eyes. Eyebrow raised, the other heiress pulled up something on her phone, extending it to Momo before racing away to drop it off at Hitoshi's room.

Momo curiously looked over the pattern the other girl had brought up, and realized it was meant as a statement. A sheath gown in the same blue as Yousetsu's bandanna would make a far clearer delaration than simply 'dating'. It didn't surprise Yaoyorozu, as all of Erika's family had used the tactic in recent memory.

So, that's what Momo decided to do, eyes widening when Erika returned with snacks, dropping them on her desk before stripping down to the skin, averting her eyes as the other girl carefully dolled herself up in an indigo gown that reminded her of a certain Brainwasher. The magenta wash over and throughout the fabric brought out her own deep pink hair.

Scarfing down some food, Momo stripped out of her own clothes, gathering them into a bag and standing straight to generate her clothes directly over her skin. With each other's help, the girls quickly piled their hair on top of their heads and with purses grabbed, made their way to stairs, smiling when their dates met them at the lower door.

Shinsou was first, looking awake for once as he helped Erika down the last few steps and into his arms, spinning her around to her giggles. Yousetsu smiled softly, carefully helping Momo, bowing over her hand and kissing it, before pivoting to her side and lacing their fingers together.

Erika and Hitoshi stepped out of their own world soon enough, and the foursome quietly made their way to outdoor gathering space where the gala was being hosted.

The students got there in time to hear 1-B's homeroom teacher and Nadeshiko (the model and performer) sing a duet.

It sounded quite good, and passionate in all the ways his students would never have guessed Kan Sekijiro was. Of course, when Eraserhead and Thunderheart

jumped into an edgier duet of their own, the 1-A students were flabbergasted.

_Aizawa could sing?_

It didn't shock Momo or Erika or their dates, who took advantage of the music to dance, joyfully opening their ballroom set when Tetsutetsu, Kendou, and a pair of third year boys stepped in.

It's a warm, beautiful night.

The students are dancing, kissing and touching innocently enough.

Fumiko watches after her performance, her lawyers' heart simply mushy goo, watching the kids go through the same motions she and the others had, not so long ago. Her place in Tensei's lap was assured, of course, but watching the kids coo over how in love they and their friends were...

It was rewarding.

Far more than she'd ever guessed.


End file.
